The ability of attachment, to both one’s mother and to one’s father, to predict empathy in adolescence

This study examined the ability of attachment, both to one’s mother and to one’s father, to predict empathy in adolescence. Additionally, this study examined differences in the strength of the ability of attachment to mother and attachment to father to predict empathy when comparing adolescent girls and boys. 316 adolescents completed questionnaires measuring the quality of the attachment relationship with their mother, the quality of the attachment relationship with their father and their level of affective empathy. Results of a hierarchical, stepwise Multiple Regression Analysis indicated that attachment to father was the only significant predictor of empathy in adolescence. Stepwise Multiple Regression Analyses, ran for adolescent girls and boys separately, provided similar results. These outcomes highlight the importance of examining the influence of attachment on empathy in childhood and adolescence separately. Additionally, these outcomes highlight the importance of examining attachment to mother and attachment to father as unique contributors to empathy in adolescence